Post Irene

So when we were buying our house, we bought what we could afford.  While I would've loved an older house with character, there was not one in a safe neighborhood with a decent sized yard even remotely in our price range.  So we ended up having to select something in the newly built, vinyl-sided suburbs.  At the time, it wasn't all bad because it least it meant the house was move-in ready, and that was a huge plus when we were moving with a 2 1/2 year old and two five-month-olds.  We also didn't think about it at the time, but it also meant the neighborhood was built with retention ponds and drainage to prevent flooding, our house had wind-resistant siding, and our roof was rated for a Category 3 hurricane.  (It can theoretically withstand winds up to 125 mph.  I am glad it has not yet been tested.)  These actually turned out to be important things the last 36 hours or so.  Our electrical lines are also mostly underground, which meant we had electricity until 4:30 this morning, and it was back on around 3:00 p.m., not bad, especially since they are predicting some people will be without electricity for days.

There were a few factors that attracted us to this particular house.  One was the big backyard with covered patio.

 

(Conveniently, Zillow still has the sellers' pictures from when we bought the house.)  The patio canopy in the picture built the dust in a storm the following spring.  So, we bought a replacement.  A winter storm took it this year.  Before buying yet another cover, we researched them.  Everything I read led me to believe they were just gonna keep on getting destroyed, so we planned to save up and replace with something more permanent next year.  However, it wasn't all that long before my inner redneck took over, and wanting a place for the kids to play in the shade, we went to Home Depot and bought a cheap tarp to cover the patio this year.  As an added bonus, we discovered it kept the sunroom about 10 degrees cooler in the afternoon.  And it turns out, unlike the canvas covers, it had no problem withstanding winds near 70 mph.  This is it, totally intact, post hurricane.  (Doesn't it make you want to run out and buy an equally stylish addition to your yard?)

 

Another thing I loved about the house was the weeping willow out front.  This picture doesn't really do it justice, but it was really quite lovely in the summer.

As we were tucking the kids into bed last night, Jeff looked out and happened to notice this.

It didn't look much better in the morning.

Once the rain and wind died down, we actually left the front porch and went to investigate.  This is the new view from the street.

Looks like we will finally have an excuse to plant flowering trees in the front.  And I have to admit, the hostas around the base make me smile.  Those little suckers are hanging on!